Next mixed together the coconut oil and brown sugar, until it’s nice and creamy. Add the almond milk and vanilla – it’ll be pretty runny but don’t worry that’s how it’s supposed to be.

Next in a separate bowl mix your bicarb of soda, baking powder and salt and then combine all together into the one bowl. You’ll find the ingredients lumpy, but don’t worry, just fold in the chunky chocolate until it’s all mixed in together.

Next you’ll need to use a dessert spoon and lump the mixture onto some greased proof paper on a baking tray. Don’t worry about flattening them out as the heat will do that for you – just make sure they aren’t too close together.

Then pop them into the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes (please do keep an eye on them) once they start to harden round the edges and don’t leave in imprint if you touch the top – they are done. You don’t want them too hard.

I’ve been re-creating lots of vegan cakes recently but nothing as colourful as these flapjacks.

My theory on why they are so lovely, is because they are really really good for you because they are Raw! No sugar (other than natural sugar from the fruit), which most of my cakes have and lots of flavor and so easy to make.

As part of Paula’s Vegan Bakery, I want to create good old fashioned cakes but I also want to re-create such cakes but of the raw variety too. Raw is just as tasty!

Using a blender, blend the raisins and coconut oil until a smooth paste forms. Once done mix the paste with the rest of the ingredients until they are all combined. Then press into a lined shallow tin and then put into the fridge for around an hour. It’ll firm up and voila your flapjacks will be ready to eat and share 🙂

Next peel your banana’s and mash them in a bowl. I kept mine a little lumpy just cos I could! Next add the oil and sugar to the banana’s and stir. Next add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and stir well.

Once that’s done pour it all into the loaf tin and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes (depending if you have a fan over or not – mine is, so it cooks a lot quicker). Just make sure you cover if the top starts to darken too much, before the inside had been cooked – do the usual test by putting in a knife to test if it’s come out clean or not.

Once done, leave it to cool for 5 mins and then pop it onto a cooling rack to cool down completely (not before you sneak a little bit, cos if your’e like me you can’t wait to try it!)

Keep it in a cool dry place, covered and it’ll last a week! (If you don’t gobble it all down before then that is!)

Note: This beautiful loaf will be available to buy as soon as my online bakery is open (hopefully early August) – check out my Facebook Page herefor updates 🙂

Start by making the shortcrust pastry base, by mixing the plain flour and icing sugar. Then add the vegan margarine and rub between your fingers until the mixture becomes breadcrumb like. Then add water, little by little, until the mixture turns into a pastry dough.

Next roll the dough out into a circular shape on a floured work surface, until it is around 5mm thick, then push into a shallow tin of 7-8 inches diameter. Using a fork prick the pastry and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes until just starting to harden up. Take out of the oven and out of the tin, and place on a baking tray.

Make the filling by adding the ground almonds, self raising flour, sugar and baking powder. Stir these together well before adding the vegetable oil and cold water. Stir together and you should get a sort of gloopy cake mixture that looks a bit rough because of the ground almonds.

Now the pastry dough has cooled down add the raspberry jam. Spread this evenly over the base before carefully spooning the almond mixture on top. Spread this with the back of a spoon so that it makes an even layer with no jam poking through! Pop back in the oven at the same temperature for 25 minutes.

The middle should rise, essentially it is like a cake mixture, and you can test it after 25 minutes by putting a cocktail stick inside and seeing if it comes out clean. If it isn’t yet done, put it back in but keep a close eye on it to ensure the pastry edges don’t burn.

When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside until completely cool.

Now do the topping:

Once cooled, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add water a little bit at a time, to make a fairly stiff icing. Bear in mind, this icing needs to be spreadable, but you don’t want it all thin and running down the edges of your pastry case! Spread evenly over the cooled almond topping and there you go all done!

If you’ve been following recently you’ll know that I am intending to start my own little Vegan Cake venture very soon (I’ll be posting on my Facebook Page soon the name of my business – when I’ve thought of one – and update you on progress and tasting opportunities!)

Why?

Because I thought it was about time that us vegan’s got to eat those good old fashioned cakes we loved, and ate whilst we were non-vegans. I kind of think we deserve it and plus it’s another way of getting those non-vegan’s in our life to realise that being vegan isn’t so bad after all!

If only the killing of poor innocent animals wasn’t enough to turn them, this might…in some small way!

Anyway, as part of the process I decided to find a good old recipe for that vegetable cake we all know very well – Carrot Cake!

Luckily for me I found a great recipe on The Ethical Chef which I found to pretty simple to follow.

This was the result (I did cut it too soon, cos I couldn’t wait to try it…hence it crumbling a bit!)

Mix the sugar and margarine together in a mixing bowl until it’s light and fluffy (I used a hand mixer just to make sure!) You’ll then need to grate the carrots and then add them to the mix. Then throw in the sultana’s, orange juice and zest. Give it a good old mix. Then add the flour, salt spices and vanilla – stir it all together well.

Pour into a loaf tin, or whatever tin you have and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, at about 170 degree’s, until it’s nice and brown (cooked in the middle of course).

I decided not to add an icing to the top, because it was already sweet enough – but if you feel like making one – then go right ahead!